What makes a 40-year-old man with an incredibly successful career, lots of money, a mansion, adoring fans, children, and a beautiful wife murder his family and then take his own life? What turns someone known as a family man into a family annihilator?
Did anyone see the signs that Chris Benoit’s life was spiraling out of control? Why would a guy who seemed to have it all snatch the very breath out of his wife and child and then throw away his own existence? In the beginning, before the investigation into the Benoit murders was complete, the public suspected everything from steroid abuse to marital conflict over the care of the Benoits’ son, who was incorrectly believed to be disabled. The truth is, probably no single issue or event led to the Benoit family’s demise. It was likely a conglomeration of numerous problems that resulted in an avalanche of depression, paranoia, despair, and — in the end — violence. Everyone has their theories, but we will never know the full story.
Spiraling Out of Control
Most of us have probably known someone who did something crazy and it didn’t come as that much of a shock because that person had always been troubled. That was not the case with Chris Benoit, at least not from the outside. I have yet to hear a single person who knew him say they could have predicted the carnage.
Grief and Depression
Loss can have a profound effect on the mind. In the wrestling business, loss is a common theme. Wrestlers often get fired and, sadly, the physical toll of working in the industry can ravage the body. Drug use often plays a role in the downfall of many wrestlers.
The pro wrestling industry is synonymous with early death. Chris Benoit’s best friend was Eddie Guerrero, who once held the title of WWE champion. Like Chris, Guerrero was a small-in-stature wrestler who rose from the middle ranks to become a superstar. Both men fought their way to the top, overcoming the industry’s low expectations.
Eddie had his own demons, but it appeared he had successfully overcome them. He often spoke about beating an addiction to painkillers. A born-again Christian, Eddie credited his faith in God for healing him from the scourge of addiction.
He may have overcome unimaginable odds, but years of abusing steroids and painkillers left Eddie in a physically vulnerable state, and in November 2005, Eddie’s nephew, Chavo Guerrero, discovered his uncle’s lifeless body in a Minneapolis hotel room. The cause of death was determined to be acute heart failure due to an enlarged heart. Eddie was just 38 years old.
The death of his best friend crushed Chris Benoit.
Chris Benoit was extremely distraught over Eddie Guerrero death
Fellow wrestling superstar Chris Jericho recalled that when he shared a hug with Chris Benoit at Eddie’s funeral, it was “the most desperate, saddest ‘I’m hanging on for dear life’ hugs that you could ever get.” The bewildered wrestler was letting out “deep, hitching sobs” during the funeral and had to be consoled. Friends and relatives of Chris shared that they had never seen Chris show much emotion until Eddie Guerrero died. Chavo Guerrero compared Chris’ grief to that of a man who just lost his spouse.
After Guerrero’s death, Chris became somewhat of a hermit, according to friends. The healthy thing to do would have been to take some time off from work to grieve, but Chris chose to bury his sorrow in his work. In every town and at every event, Chris would comment that all he could think of was Guerrero, however. His insistence on working likely contributed to his undoing.
According to Chris’ sister-in-law, Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy Benoit was deeply concerned that if her husband didn’t take some time off from work, he would continue to deteriorate mentally and physically. In the end, she was right.
Chris Benoit behavior continued to be erratic
She had good reason to worry. Chris’ behavior was becoming increasingly erratic in the wake of Guerrero’s death. At times, he was overwhelmed by paranoia, refusing to allow his family to leave the house. The Crippler also became convinced that he was being followed and started taking alternate routes to the airport. To help her husband cope, Nancy bought him a journal. For weeks after Guerrero’s death, Chris would pour his heart and soul into writing letters to his late friend, whom he called his “brother,” quoting scripture and expressing deep frustration with the lifestyle both men had led together.
In one entry, Chris told Eddie “I’ll be with you soon.”
On June 21, 2007, Nancy began to fear that Chris had finally “lost it.” She called a close friend, who has never been named, and said: “I’m scared to death. If anything happens to me, look at Chris.” Nancy had no idea just how dangerous her living arrangement had become.
Chris Benoit & Drug Abuse
While no “hard drugs” were found in Chris’ autopsy, 10 times the normal level of testosterone was found in his body. [3] The coroner believed the hormone had been injected shortly before Chris’ death. Xanax and hydrocodone were also found in his body, but at therapeutic levels.
Testosterone has long been associated with higher levels of aggression and anger in males. It’s possible that Chris felt he needed a “boost” in order to be able to carry out the violence he was planning against his family. However, the link between testosterone and aggression/violent behavior is largely a myth — even when testosterone levels are extremely high.
No alcohol was found in Chris’ system, though it was believed he had struggled with alcohol abuse in the past.
In fact, while Chris had no alcohol in his system, 10 empty beer cans were found in the trash and an empty wine bottle was discovered a few feet from Chris’ body. Anabolic steroids were found in the Benoit home but not in Chris’ body, so ‘roid rage did not contribute to the killings, as many had assumed.
WWE quickly dispel rumors that steroids played a part in the murders
WWE was quick to dispel the rumor that steroids contributed to the murders even before the toxicology report was complete, insisting that “steroids were not and could not be related to the cause of death.” Two days after the murders, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon went on the Today show to emphatically deny steroids led to the murders, stating that it would have been impossible since the killings were “an act of deliberation.”
Interestingly, sources close to Chris claimed that the stocky wrestler was an abuser of GHB, better known as the “date-rape drug.” Chris reportedly took the drug with a friend and former wrestler Chris Adams when the men competed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the 1990s.
Chris and Adams were said to have used GHB together until Adams’ death in 2001, and friends of Chris say he was still using at least two years before he died.
We will never know if GHB contributed to the Benoit Family Murders, however, as traditional toxicology tests cannot detect the substance; A complicated test using strands of hair must be conducted. GHB is often used by bodybuilders who want to reduce body fat and build muscles. It is not associated with violence or aggression unless a person stops using it very suddenly, in which case, it can lead to withdrawal symptoms including paranoia and hallucinations.
Marital Strife
The world at large may have believed Chris and Nancy had a solid relationship, but family and friends who were close to the couple had seen warning signs indicating that there was trouble inside the walls of 130 Green Meadow Lane.
Three years after the two married, Nancy filed for divorce citing “cruel treatment” that included throwing furniture. At one point, Nancy even filed a restraining order against Chris. According to the petition, Chris “lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties, including furniture and furnishings. Petitioner is in reasonable fear for petitioner’s own safety and that of the minor child.”
It was common, friends say, for the couple to have “blow-ups” followed by Chris leaving for a couple of days to cool off.
Nancy’s sister, Sandra, said that Chris never hit his wife but once pushed her into a shelf while screaming at her. The restraining order was upheld for three weeks, at which point Chris and Nancy reconciled. In the early days of the investigation, it was reported that the couple fought over the care of their “mentally retarded son,” but this was false. There was nothing wrong with Daniel. However, reports that Nancy wanted Chris to spend less time on the road and more time at home with their son may very well have played a role in the conflict between them.
Brain Damage
Professional wrestling is about as high-risk as it gets when it comes to choosing a career. Chris Benoit was not shy about putting his body on the line when it came to wowing audiences and moving up in the ranks of the WWE. Chris openly admitted that he’d had more concussions than he could count.
Repeat concussions can be extremely dangerous, sometimes leading to a brain condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. The degenerative disorder is commonly found in athletes and military veterans with a history of repeated brain trauma.
The Concussion Foundation explains on its website:
“In CTE, a protein called tau misfolds and malfunctions, causes other proteins to misfold and sets off a chain reaction where this malfunctioning tau slowly spreads throughout the brain, killing brain cells. CTE has been seen in people as young as 17, but symptoms do not generally begin appearing until years after the onset of head impacts.”
CTE can cause the following symptoms:
- Impulse control problems
- Aggression
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- Short-term memory loss
- Confusion
- Impaired judgement
- Dementia
Chris Benoit had signs of CTE
Most people with CTE have experienced hundreds or thousands of head impacts over the course of many years.
After the 40-year-old died, several researchers at the Sports Legacy Institute decided to look at Chris’ brain to see if there were any signs of CTE. What they found was shocking. After years of repeated head trauma, Chris had the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient.
The team of researchers took samples of Chris’ brain and compared them to samples taken from a healthy brain. Chris’ brain was a tangled mess of brown clumps and tangles, indicating he had an advanced form of dementia. The brown areas show brain cells that died as a result of head trauma.
The damage of was so severe that it affected all four lobes of the brain and the brain stem. Researcher Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute said:
“It was extensive throughout Chris’ brain. This is something we should never see in a 40-year-old.”
Chris’ father, Michael Benoit, said it was the worst case of CTE the scientists had ever seen. Scientists from the Institute said that CTE could have caused the paranoia and depression experienced by Chris Benoit in his final days.
Many have questioned whether CTE could really be blamed for what happened in the Benoit household over the course of three days. It was a methodically planned crime, after all, or at least so it seemed. And if CTE affected Chris so severely, how was he able to keep track of a travel schedule and follow the story lines of his matches?
Chris brain showed signs of years of head injuries
Bailes explained:
“These extreme changes throughout Chris Benoit’s brain are enough to explain aberrant behavior, including suicide and even homicide.”
From an outsider’s perspective, it seems that between the extensive damage seen in Chris Benoit’s brain and the grief and marital strife Chris was experiencing, it all came together to form a perfect storm of rage and murder.
In our third and final installment of the Chris Benoit series, we will look at some of the oddities and conspiracy theories surrounding the deaths of the Benoit family.
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